Advanced Reader's Copy

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. O'Dell, whose debut, Back Roads (2000), was an Oprah pick, returns with a terrific third novel set in a Pennsylvania coal country of broken families, altercations and smalltown coping. Policewoman-turned-cabbie Shae-Lynn Penrose, a little over 40 and back in Jolly Mount after a rent-a-cop stint in Washington, D.C., raised son Clay (24 and the town deputy) on her own. For the past 18 years, she has believed that her sister, Shannon, was killed by their abusive father while Shae-Lynn was at college. (Their mother died of complications after giving birth to Shannon; their father was killed much later in a mine explosion.) When a New York lawyer turns up asking for Shannon Penrose, whom he seems to have seen recently, Shae-Lynn is shocked; when Shannon herself suddenly turns up, very pregnant, Shae-Lynn's reaction is primal and tactile. As O'Dell slowly unspools Shannon's very-much-of-her-own-doing predicament, O'Dell demonstrates her mastery of set-piece dialogue, reeling off stingingly acute encounters that are as funny as they can be crushingly sad. Ne'er-do-well Choker Simms (and his two kids, Fanci and Kenny), lawyer Gerald Kozlowski, mine owner Cam Jack, Shae-Lynn's nonboyfriend E.J., Shannon's sort-of-boyfriend Dmitri and others are all wonderfully drawn through Shae-Lynn's keen observations. Family saga O'Dell-style crackles with conflict and a deep understanding of the complications and burdens that follow attachment, sex, love and kinship.

Passed on to Mississippimom for meet up.

Met Daelith at our local used book store
and she gave me a big bag of books to share with
the Mid South BookCrossers...



MarilynD-MississippiMom-wildseakitten-dancing dog-Daelith-ariesgirl29-nancyluvsbooks-MissLou
Click here to check out The MidSouth BookCrosser's Group! on Facebook.

Reserved for booklady331's ABC VBB.

booklady331 picked this one from the ABC VBB Will get it in the mail to her ASAP Sent 'media mail' 8/5 -- Tracking #9114901189866490093097 This book is my gift to you.... Welcome to Book Crossing! Won’t you please take a moment and make a brief journal entry to let us know this book has made a new friend. You may keep this book or read & release it as I have done. You may remain anonymous; however, I hope you’ll consider joining Book Crossing. It’s fun, free and quite secure. If you do join, I would be pleased if you would list my screen-name MississippiMom in the referred by space.

Thank you for sending this book to me. It arrived today.

Started the book today. I will keep it moving when I finish.

Couldn't get into this book, so I am going to pass it along to someone else who might enjoy it.

KTM release